A magneto ignition system for battery less hand-held combustion engines includes a claw generator with a stationary circular power coil winding enclosed by two iron claw halves and with a rotating flywheel magnet ring with multiple magnetic poles. The stationary circular coil winding includes a trigger coil with a stationary coil winding arranged in a plane orthogonal to the stationary circular power coil winding. The magneto ignition system further includes an engine control module ECM for establishment of appropriate ignition timing, and an ignition coil module ICM. The stationary circular power coil winding may provide the electrical power supply to both the ignition timing module ECM and the ignition coil module ICM.

In at least some implementations, a method of operating an ignition system for a combustion engine includes charging an energy storage device during at least a portion of the time when the engine is operating, permitting the level of energy stored on the charge storage device to decrease over time after the engine ceases to operate, determining the energy level on the energy storage device when the engine is restarted after having ceased operating, and setting at least one engine operational parameter as a function of the determined energy level. In at least some implementations, the at least one engine operational parameter may include one or more of: richness of a fuel and air mixture to be delivered to the engine, ignition timing, desired engine idle speed.

An ignition control apparatus, e.g., for an internal combustion engine, includes a rotational speed calculation unit that calculates a rotational speed of an alternating current generator. A rotor of the alternating current generator is driven to rotate in synchronization with reciprocating motion of a piston of the internal combustion engine. An ignition timing determination unit determines an ignition timing of the internal combustion engine based on the rotational speed calculated by the rotational speed calculation unit. An ignition control unit supplies electric power to an ignition coil such that the internal combustion engine is ignited at the timing determined by the ignition timing determination unit.

An ignition control apparatus, e.g., for an internal combustion engine, includes a rotational speed calculation unit that calculates a rotational speed of an alternating current generator. A rotor of the alternating current generator is driven to rotate in synchronization with reciprocating motion of a piston of the internal combustion engine. An ignition timing determination unit determines an ignition timing of the internal combustion engine based on the rotational speed calculated by the rotational speed calculation unit. An ignition control unit supplies electric power to an ignition coil such that the internal combustion engine is ignited at the timing determined by the ignition timing determination unit.

A magneto ignition system for battery less hand-held combustion engines includes a claw generator with a stationary circular power coil winding enclosed by two iron claw halves and with a rotating flywheel magnet ring with multiple magnetic poles. The stationary circular coil winding includes a trigger coil with a stationary coil winding arranged in a plane orthogonal to the stationary circular power coil winding. The magneto ignition system further includes an engine control module ECM for establishment of appropriate ignition timing, and an ignition coil module ICM. The stationary circular power coil winding may provide the electrical power supply to both the ignition timing module ECM and the ignition coil module ICM.

Provided is a stroke determination device which detects a secondary output from an ignition coil without using a high breakdown voltage element, and is capable of accurately establishing the stroke being carried out during an ignition operation of a four-stroke engine from the waveform of the detected secondary output. In the present invention, a secondary coil of an ignition coil is constituted from a first coil portion, and a second coil portion wound so as to have fewer windings than does the first coil portion and connected in series to the first coil portion. A tap is drawn out from a boundary part between both coil portions, the voltage at both ends of the second coil portion or the current flowing through the second coil portion is detected through the tap, and a parameter to be used in stroke determination is detected from the waveform of the detected voltage or current.

Provided is a stroke determination device which detects a secondary output from an ignition coil without using a high breakdown voltage element, and is capable of accurately establishing the stroke being carried out during an ignition operation of a four-stroke engine from the waveform of the detected secondary output. In the present invention, a secondary coil of an ignition coil is constituted from a first coil portion, and a second coil portion wound so as to have fewer windings than does the first coil portion and connected in series to the first coil portion. A tap is drawn out from a boundary part between both coil portions, the voltage at both ends of the second coil portion or the current flowing through the second coil portion is detected through the tap, and a parameter to be used in stroke determination is detected from the waveform of the detected voltage or current.

In at least some implementations, a method of maintaining an engine speed below a first threshold, includes: (a) determining an engine speed; (b) comparing the engine speed to a second threshold that is less than the first threshold; (c) allowing an engine ignition event to occur during a subsequent engine cycle if the engine speed is less than the second threshold; and (d) skipping at least one subsequent engine ignition event if the engine speed is greater than the second threshold. In at least some implementations, the second threshold is less than the first threshold by a maximum acceleration of the engine after one ignition event so that an ignition event when the engine speed is less than the second threshold does not cause the engine speed to increase above the first threshold.

An ignition control device is provided with an ignition coil including a primary coil and a secondary coil, a main ignition circuit performing a main ignition operation, an energy input circuit that performs an energy input operation for superposing a current having the same polarity to a secondary current, in which a signal generation circuit is provided to generate, based on a main ignition signal that controls the main ignition operation, at least one of an energy input signal controlling the energy input operation and a target secondary current command signal commanding a target secondary current value.

An ignition control device is provided with an ignition coil including a primary coil and a secondary coil, a main ignition circuit performing a main ignition operation, an energy input circuit that performs an energy input operation for superposing a current having the same polarity to a secondary current, in which a signal generation circuit is provided to generate, based on a main ignition signal that controls the main ignition operation, at least one of an energy input signal controlling the energy input operation and a target secondary current command signal commanding a target secondary current value.